long time no see!

"As Sai said earlier, we can assume the enemy will be very skilled. A mistake in teamwork could prove fatal. I'm sure you all have something to say about this, but just concentrate on the mission for now. We don't know where Orochimaru's hideout is, but the Akatsuki spy is probably on his way to the bridge right about now."

"Based on our previous discussion, although I don't really do this that often, we'll be spending half of tomorrow working on a team-play simulation."

"A simulation?" Naruto repeats.

"That's right. All I know about you guys is what I've read in your files," Captain Yamato says. "I want a first-hand knowledge of your fighting styles, battle skills, and Jutsu types. The cooperation of the team should get smoother if we learn about each other.

Naruto sighs deeply. "Cooperation, huh...?"

Captain Yamato smiles. "You might think I'm being too cautious, but this is how I do things." The smile fades. "You will go along with it."

-

Once our mission planning ended, Captain Yamato had us settle into sleep. I volunteer to be the first to keep watch over our little fortress. To make sure I had enough chakra for the day ahead, for our simulation, and then for our mission, I'd need complete, uninterrupted sleep to infuse it all.

I clamber up onto the roof of our Captain's pop-up wooden house and lay back against it. I would think that the lack of lights would make a difference in star visibility, but in fact, they seem a lot dimmer than what they are back home. Maybe it's because of the moon not being so bright, itself, but I'm no expert to make any assumptions.

Settling into my spot on the roof, I tuck my arms behind me, take in the night breeze, and activate my Sensory Scope. To my relief, there's no one around. I guess we're too deep into our shortcut for my scope's range.

With all this silence around me, I find my thoughts heading back to one of my first nights back in the village, after Naruto and I had returned to my house after going to Ichiraku's, when I'd taken a deep look in Naruto's memories... I always wonder about that woman I'd met; Kuroko, if I'm not mistaken. Saying she was Naruto's great-grandmother, and even Makara knowing her, as well... And then that masked man appearing, and completely ejecting me from finding out any answers— "What's up with that?"

"What's up with what?"

I jump, nearly losing my place on the roof at Naruto's question. I hadn't even realized I'd said it out loud, but still.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," I chide him. "I'm already on enough of an edge without you adding to it."

"Sorry, sorry."

I take a deep breath, and settle back into place. "No, I'm sorry," I say. "I'm just... I've had a terrible feeling, ever since we left the village."

"About the mission?" Naruto asks.

I nod. "I had the same feeling when we left to rescue Gaara, and look how that turned out," I mumble. I turn to him. "There's so much on my mind right now, and I don't know what to do with it. Any advice?"

He starts humming, plopping down beside me, chin in his hand, propped up on his lap. I snort at the concentrated expression on his face; lip jutted, eyebrows narrowed, eyes squinty. I find myself staring too long. I look back into my lap.

"... maybe you just gotta... not?" he finally offers. I deadpan at him.

"That's physically impossible," I start, but he goes on.

"Hear me out! If you have a lot of stuff going on, maybe you should just worry about the most important ones?" Naruto chuckles. "I'm probably not the best to ask about this."

I shake my head. "No, you are the best," I say. I can feel his eyes on me. "There's... very few people whose opinion and thoughts I value." I take another deep, this time, wavering, breath. "You're at the top of my list of people, Naruto.

"But, um... maybe you're right? I have to prioritize my issues. And finding Sasuke is more important than my—" I stop myself from finishing my sentence. "... my other issues."

"If that's how you feel," he mumbles, although I know this is how he feels, too.

I swallow, finally deciding not to ever mention this masked man to him.

"... yeah. It is."

-

Our simulation begins the next morning, at daybreak. Captain Yamato has me scout ahead, to sense for any possible presence within five-hundred meters surrounding the false Tenchi Bridge he's produced. At this point, with nobody but the five of us within it, we commence the mission simulation.

The messenger, whoever they may be, will be approaching from the west end of the bridge. In this simulation, Captain Yamato acts as the messenger, wearing his travelling cloak to partially mask his image. Naruto and Sai, whose chakra I've concealed in their place behind a large boulder off the beaten path, await Sakura's signal, who has transformed herself into Sasori. I, hidden away both physically, as well as with my chakra, follow a few feet behind her, onto the bridge.

Sakura and Captain Yamato stop before each other in the middle of the bridge, and so as to allude to the image of conversation, there is a good twenty seconds of silence between them. I wait carefully; I'm not to move more than five feet away from Sakura, as discussed. And then, she gives the signal, a single hand raised into the air, thumb pointed toward the sky.

I lift the veil over Naruto and Sai, who've flown out of their hiding place to launch their attack. I remain concealed, however; this was decided last-minute before we began, as the simulation is meant to act out possible scenarios of attack against Sasori's messenger. It was unanimously agreed upon that my anonymity would be best.

I watch the two of them give chase to Captain Yamato's retreating figure.

"Hold it!" Naruto shouts, and having reached into one of his weapon pouches, pulls out and whips a pair of kunai after him. It slices through the hood of his cloak, knocking it off his head.

Then, the second signal comes—Sakura undoing her Transformation Jutsu. As during the mission, I'll be at our Captain's side instead of hers, I am to treat her as Captain Yamato. So, I run, ahead of Naruto and Sai, as our Captain prepares to engage the two of them, and wait, keeping a close distance from him, watching carefully. He's read our files. It's time to get a read on him, too. And Sai.

"Come at me for real!" he shouts at them, taking a stance. I am surprised how smooth Naruto and Sai's cooperation is. Despite the previous days' strife, somehow an unspoken plan between them has been made, and I sense the real Sai hidden behind a tree. Naruto and a Shadow Clone, Transformed as Sai, charge at Captain Yamato, with Naruto prepping a Rasengan into his Clone's hand from behind its back.

Captain Yamato, noticing it, weaves a quick set of hand signs, and from the earth erupts a pair of wooden stilts that wrap themselves around Naruto's Sai Clone. Forced to submit, the Jutsu is released, and the Clone disappears. The real Naruto, however, dives down onto Captain Yamato, pinning him to the ground. However, and for a lack of focus on that part, I hadn't noticed he'd been a Clone, too.

Sai gives chase after the real Captain Yamato once the ink snake of his finishes wrapping around the dummy, and the wooden Clone of Captain Yamato's, leaving him tied up.

"Hey, Sai! Do something about this!!" he screeches after him. "Sai! Where are you going?! I've already captured Captain Yamato, so hurry up and untie me!"

I release my Concealment Jutsu once Sakura's joined us on the path. "You dummy," I say, voicing my thoughts.

"What are you doing?" Sakura demands. "That's not Captain Yamato."

Naruto blinks. "Huh?" Turning to face the Clone, he screams again. "What the hell is this?! Damn it—Sai! Hurry up and untie this snake!"

I raise my fingers in front of me, as Sakura moves to free Naruto. "Sai's caught Captain Yamato," I sense, as she pries the snake apart. He falls away from the wooden dummy. "Come on, we'd better catch up."

"Good job catching me, Sai," Captain Yamato compliments. By the look on his face, I wonder if there's more on his mind than simple praise.

"Hey, hey, hey! Sai!"

"Release," Sai says, the ink restrains around our Captain's wrists dripping away.

"All right, that's the end of the simulation," he announces.

Naruto grabs onto Sai, too quickly for me to stop him from instigating another issue between them. I sigh.

"You jerk," he spits.

"What is it?" Sai asks.

"Don't you know what the word "comrade" means?" Naruto demands. In response, Sai takes out a small scroll and his ink brush. "Hey, you! I'm asking if you know what the word "comrade" means!"

I have a bad feeling about what he's writing on his scroll.

"Of course, I do," Sai says, and raises the scroll to Naruto. On it, are the characters for "comrade". "What of it?"

Naruto grits his teeth. "That's not what I'm saying!"

"Naruto, come on," I hiss.

"Please don't blame your lack of individual competence on others," Sai remarks.

"What did you say?!"

"If you didn't let the Captain get a rise out of you, I could've remained hidden without being exposed. And, it wouldn't have been so troublesome to capture the Captain."

"What do you mean," Naruto says lowly.

"Even if you go to the trouble of transforming into me, you'll be exposed immediately if you use one of your Jutsu. Because of that, the Captain saw through our strategy and escaped into the forest using a Substitution Jutsu."

Naruto, both audibly and visually frustrated, turns to Captain Yamato, who simply nods.

"Then why didn't you break the Jutsu right away if you knew it was a Substitution?" he asks Sai.

"It isn't ideal to fight while protecting someone who has lost his cool," Sai responds. "All I did was consider the best way to successfully complete the mission, make a judgement, and take action."

It's difficult for him to, but Naruto manages to hold himself back by letting go of Sai's shirt.

"I won't acknowledge you," he says, turning to walk away from him. "I'll never acknowledge you, as a comrade or as a member of Team Kakashi!"

Captain Yamato groans. "I guess these two just won't work as a team, huh?" he mumbles.

"... I wonder what Sasuke would've done," Sai calls after him, smiling. "Would he have fought while protecting you? He's a Team Kakashi comrade to you, right? If you call someone who betrayed his village and hurt you... a comrade, that is."

I exchange a nervous look with Sakura. Naruto's chakra spikes for a moment. But to my surprise, he cools off.

"If it's to save that comrade," Naruto starts to say, "then I'll do whatever it takes." He narrows his eyes at Sai. "I'll even team up with you."

As Naruto walks away, I sense a question hanging in the air.

"Why does he feel so strongly for Sasuke?" Sai asks.

"It's because Naruto thinks of Sasuke like a brother," Sakura replies. "You've got a brother, too, don't you? You should understand a little about how he feels."

"No, not at all," Sai replies, almost instantly. "I told you about titles for my drawings, didn't I? I don't feel any such things like emotions."

"... what do you mean you don't feel any emotions?"

"I mean just what I said," he answers.

"Even so, if you have a brother, you should be able to imagine what it would be like to lose him, right?" Sakura insists.

"Hm? Well, you could say that. My brother's dead, after all."

My lips part. "Then shouldn't that be all the reason more to—""I wonder if I should've looked like that," Sai says, cutting over Sakura.

"What do you mean by that?" she asks.

"Well, I didn't know what kind of look to make when my brother died..."

"Look to make?" she repeats, almost venomously. Captain Yamato claps his hands together.

"That's enough talking," he says. "We're moving out pretty soon, so gather your things."

Sai moves to do so.

"Sai," Sakura calls. "Normally, I would've pounded you pretty good back there... I told you I wouldn't hold back if you spoke ill of Sasuke again, right?"

I exhale nervously, ready to act as a restraint if need be.

"But I didn't do that, because even though you insulted Sasuke, Naruto said he would team up with you if it meant saving Sasuke. No matter what kind of guy you are, I won't hurt you if it means saving Sasuke."

"Sakura, in regards to Naruto, yeah, I guess I'd say you're nice to him. I once read something like this in a book. I don't know why such feelings arise."

"Guys," Naruto calls. "Let's get a move on. This'll all be a waste if we don't get there by tomorrow afternoon."

I take one more breath before running after him.

That bad feeling I mentioned... It's gotten a lot more bad.

-

Our trek toward the location of the real Tenchi Bridge is a silent, awkward, miserable one. I want nothing more than to catch this messenger and get him back to the village. It's not that I don't like Sai, it's just... I don't like Sai. But I can't put all the blame on him. Wherever he'd been trained... that's where the fault lies.

Captain Yamato, having been leading the way, turns to us. We stop.

"We're almost there," he announces. "We'll head for the bridge once we're finished getting ready here."

This is it. My heart is beating at least three times its normal pace. Understandably so. This is the closest we've gotten to a lead on both Sasuke and Orochimaru since that day three years ago, according to Lady Tsunade. Despite all the reconnaissance and spying I've done since my second year living at the Yamada Clan Compound, Sasori's messenger is the only definite lead. Finally.

Sai's sent out several dozen of his ink critters – this time, tiny black mice – to survey the area, as opposed to me using my scope. Captain Yamato wants me to save up my chakra. I notice one of the mice come scurrying toward us, and then the rest come, settling back into the parchment of Sai's scroll. Once they become two-dimensional again, he rolls up the scroll and turns to us.

"I don't sense the presence of anyone around Tenchi Bridge," he says.

"I guess that means there won't be any Akatsuki ambush," Captain Yamato adds. "All right; we proceed as planned."

"Right," Naruto says. Since arriving, his mood has improved. I can't say the same for myself, unfortunately.

"Naruto," Captain Yamato hands a photograph to him. "Could you take this and hold it towards me?" Naruto takes it – a photograph of Sasori in his puppet form – and shows it to our Captain. "Wood Style: Transformation Jutsu!"

Several wooden spires erupt from the ground, just like they had during our simulation, creating a massive cloud of dust and debris around us. Once it clears, in our Captain's place, sits a perfect copy of Sasori—according to the photo.

Captain Yamato, with his now-slanted eyes, looks to Sakura. "So? Is this right?"

"Yes," she says. "It's perfect. You look like Sasori's Hiruko puppet in every way."

"Now I want to adjust the voice," he says. "Let me know when it sounds right."

"Right."

Captain Yamato begins going through the scales. The first voice he uses, I have to keep myself from laughing out loud. In that form with such a high-pitched tone, it's difficult to keep my cool. Gradually, he drops his octaves, finally reaching a dulcet, grovel-of-a-rasp voice that has Sakura gasp.

"Oh! That's it; that's the voice."

"Then we're going to start the operation, okay?" he says, holding the tone.

"Your tone is too polite," Sakura adds. "You need to sound more violent or surly or something..."

"Oh, that's right," our Captain says. "I'm irritable, and hate waiting, and being kept waiting. We're starting the operation!"

Naruto laughs. "Right, right! That's what he was like!"

"Okay. Our opponent should be on the alert. We'll split up now! Observe teamwork at all times! Especially you, Naruto. Don't be jumping out before I give the signal." Naruto opens his mouth to argue, but I nudge him in the side before he can. "Okay, let's go."

-

This time, the only presence I conceal is my own.

Walking beside Captain Yamato, I find myself being the opposite of nervous. I am... elated. Determined? Expectant. I foresee both a good outcome during a bad experience. As little sense as this makes, these are the only words I can use to describe I how I feel. The thought that Sasuke is just one more step to being home with us is too much to express. So, I push my emotions to the back burner for the moment, and focus on staying in step with Captain Yamato.

I sense the others a good seventy meters away from the Tenchi Bridge, which comes into view upon the thought. I raise my fingers in front of me, and activate my Sensory Scope. A new chakra has entered my range. I'm startled to find that I recognize it. But I'm unable to match it with a name.

Sakura, Naruto, and Sai have moved closer to the Bridge, a mere twenty meters away. I look up at the sky through the trees. Almost noon, I think. They're punctual for an Akatsuki tool. I guess they'd have to be, considering who they worked for.

The wind has begun to pick up. I swipe my bangs behind my ears. Better yet, as we walk, I quickly tie my hair back with an elastic band kept around my wrist.

Captain Yamato stops for a moment, and glances behind him from under his hat. In response, I give the puppet a pat, for reassurance, and he continues, crossing the threshold onto the Bridge, where the strangely familiar messenger stands, cloaked in black, his face hooded and hidden. Eventually, he joins him.

"... it's been a long time, Lord Sasori," the messenger says. Once more, from his voice, I'm struck with familiarity. And from his face, nostalgia. "About five years, no?"

Kabuto Yakushi?!

It takes everything in me not to screw up this mission and end his life here on the Bridge. We need answers. True answers. We need me to keep my cool.

"Were you followed?" Captain Yamato, in Sasori's rasping voice, asks. Kabuto turns back to the other end of the bridge for a moment.

"No," he says.

"How are things?" he then proceeds to ask.

"I still have the strange sensation, from when I remembered who I was after your Jutsu broke. I still feel... heavy-headed," he murmurs.

"I have questions for you," our Captain asks. "I don't have much time. Keep it short."

"I risked my life to get here without Orochimaru finding out," Kabuto tells him.

"I want information on the location of his hideout, and on Sasuke Uchiha."

"We have many hideouts," Kabuto says. "We move to a different hideout each week so as not to get discovered. Of course, there aren't just hideouts in the Hidden Sound Village, but the other lands, as well. Spies for Orochimaru infiltrate and act as informers. But there are all sorts of means of transport, so they're not easily tracked."

"Where is it now?" Captain Yamato inquires.

"We're now in a hideout on a small island on a lake to the north," he replies. "We'll be moving again in three days. Sasuke Uchiha is there, as well. By the way," he begins to add, before loud rustling, even over the sound of the whistling wind, is heard from the opposite side of the bridge. A brown rabbit pokes out of the thrush before fleeing.

"Oh," Kabuto breathes, sounding relieved. "It's just a wild rabbit."

Suddenly, I receive a chill down my back, and even though I'm technically only wearing half of a shirt, the breeze is not the cause for it. I immediately expand my range, but I'm unable to detect anything alarming. My panic is, however warranted. I have good reason to be on edge.

"Lord Sasori, about what you ordered me to do. Even after Orochimaru's reincarnation, he uses a Jutsu to apply a protector to the cellular specimens from his discarded body, and therefore, I was unable to analyze the cellular data."

"I see," Captain Yamato says.

"Now, please hand over the item in question immediately." I freeze. The item in question? "I can't be hanging around here any longer. If it's discovered that I'm here with you like this, I'll be killed."

In this moment, I wish for nothing more than to have Captain Yamato dish out a direct order for me to knock Kabuto out and take him back to the village. Instead, he pulls out a kunai, and rushes at Kabuto.

"What an interesting conversation. Mind if I join in, as well?"

The space behind Kabuto, with his hand outstretched, had been blurred. It was no wonder why I didn't sense anything, but the venomous intent hung in the air. It came from Orochimaru, the third Sannin.

With a snake curled around his body, I watch as it makes to twist around him. Instead, Kabuto manages to escape his grasp. If I hadn't moved when I did, I would've been revealed, as Kabuto had jumped into my same place, Captain Yamato, still disguised as Sasori, beside him. But I am confused at this point. I don't remember Kabuto being so... naïve.

"If you hadn't pulled out that knife, I wouldn't have been able to get away before I noticed," Kabuto says.

The snake disappears in a cloud of smoke. Orochimaru smirks.

"That outfit... sure takes me back," he says. "Sasori. Did you follow Kabuto? I just thought I'd thank you. This brat you sent to me has come in very handy. The number of human subjects necessary for the development of one new Jutsu is over a hundred. Thanks to his Medical Ninjutsu, I've been able to reuse test subjects several times. There's been a great shortage of them, you see..."

This man, Orochimaru... my knowledge on him is very limited. I don't have the same first-hand experience that Naruto and Sakura might've, back in the Forest of Death. Even still, I don't need to, nor do I need to know what kind of man or creature he is. The moment those last words came dripping from that mouth of his, it only proved my previous concern—that Kabuto's act is just that. An act.

I step in front of Captain Yamato before any real damage can be made, trapping Kabuto's glowing, outstretched hand between the two of mine, twisting it upwards, and launching my heel into his gut. Having braced himself literal milliseconds before I'd come in contact with him, he slides back toward Orochimaru, still bewildered. In the same moment, a wood clone of Captain Yamato's drops before the two, and I jump back in front of the real one.

"A Substitution created with the Wood Style Ninjutsu," Orochimaru notes. "Could it be?"

"Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto calls, "is this Sasori's real body?"

"No, it isn't," he replies. "Kabuto, you didn't know his real face even though you were his subordinate?"

Kabuto chuckles. "He was a broody guy who always stayed hidden inside his puppets, after all..."

"What's the meaning of this?" Captain Yamato demands. "Kabuto... you were supposed to be an Akatsuki spy! Weren't you caught in one of Sasori's Jutsu all this time?!"

"Lord Orochimaru broke that Jutsu for me ages ago," Kabuto says coolly.

"I can't believe you went to the other side, pretending to be caught in one of Sasori's Jutsu. Did you get caught in one of Orochimaru's Jutsu?"

"Unfortunately not," I say. "He's just an Orochimaru empathizer."

"On the nail, as always," Kabuto says. "Can't argue with you there. By the way, Kari, who's your friend? The plan was to take care of Sasori."

"I'm afraid that job's already been done," I say in response to Kabuto's comment.

"I'll tell you about him later, Kabuto," Orochimaru says. His eyes swivel onto me next. The chills come in waves. "I don't think we've met."

"Kari Yamada," I say. Reluctantly, CaptainYamato gives the signal, and the others join us on the bridge. "Nice to beatyou."    

---

Hi guys! How've ya been?

The last time I updated this was back in September, and I apologize. I was dealing with a lot of things, so I've had to put a lot of my personal life on the back burner for quite a while. At the same time, I've also completed half of my college programming toward my program in September coming up, so I'll be busy all summer, as well. However! I wanted to at least give you guys something to work with.

Also: I wanted to introduce my new account here on Wattpad to you: herovibe. For the longest time, I've been a geek nut. So, instead of stockpiling a bunch of nerd drafts into this account, which, if you've noticed, is mainly anime, I made a secondary account, which will contain all things Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, and anything video-game related. Please, please, please check out, read and vote on my current works, as well as give me a follow so as to build up the account. It would mean so much to me.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Keep in touch!

xoxo